


murahimu flufftober 2017

by somnnium



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Alternate Universe - Wings, Blind Date, Domestic Fluff, Embarrassed Kagami Taiga, Established Relationship, Glasses, GoM being messy together, Graduation, Kissing, Long-Distance Relationship, Love Confessions, M/M, Mentions of alcohol, Moving In Together, Red String of Fate, Romance, Sharing Clothes, Sick Atsushi, Slow Dancing, Soulmates, The Pocky Game, There's a lot of food somehow, flufftober2017
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-01
Updated: 2017-10-31
Packaged: 2019-01-08 08:36:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 31
Words: 19,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12250824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/somnnium/pseuds/somnnium
Summary: A collection of murahimu ficlets for Flufftober 2017.





	1. Hands

**Author's Note:**

> This year I'll be doing Flufftober 2017, an entire month (hopefully) dedicated to writing as much murahimu fluff as possible!
> 
> The full list of prompts can be found [here](https://i.imgur.com/2vyyO5w.png) and [here](https://twitter.com/mvkkun/status/914595323435192322) – this is a list I made myself, so anyone is free to use it if they so desire.

Tatsuya likes Atsushi’s hands. Actually, that would be an understatement – Tatsuya _loves_ Atsushi’s hands.

It wasn’t always like this. There was a time when they both first met in which Tatsuya would get a little bit scared of them (but just a little). They were strong, big, calloused hands, hands that played (and still play) a whole lot of basketball, even if their owner would never admit it out loud; hands that were often greasy and that smelled like chocolate and garlic and needed frequent washing.

Thus, Tatsuya would find himself thinking more often than not about what would happen if that boy ever got seriously angry. What if he came to practice one day and decided to just grab someone by the collar – _what if he got angry at Tatsuya_? He was tall and looked strong enough to hurt someone badly, so maybe he should be a bit more careful around him, right?

Tatsuya soon found out that Atsushi wasn’t that kind of person at all, and hands that were scary at first quickly became a friendly, kind and even protective presence at times. They would be at practice and Atsushi would always help Tatsuya up when he pushed himself too hard and couldn’t stand up by himself; he’d grab his shoulders in the softest of ways during lunch rush hours so he wouldn’t bump into anyone; he’d put his hand on top of his head after a particularly hard day as if he was saying “I’m here if you need me”.

And just like that, Atsushi’s hands became precious gems in Tatsuya’s life. At some point, Tatsuya had found himself enveloped in Atsushi’s warm, welcoming hands, his face tinged pink but his heart full and open, and then it wasn’t just his hands – his arms protected him during his nightmares, in a peaceful and tight embrace; his lips kissed away his tears and brought a smile back into his face; his eyes, who often looked sleepy and uninterested, were actually sincere and so very caring.

All these fond memories found their way into Tatsuya’s mind during their shopping time – and Atsushi might have caught him smiling mindlessly in the middle of the store, right in front of the vegetable stand, because he was looking at him and at the cabbage in his hand in an odd way.

“Are cabbages that funny, Muro-chin?” Atsushi took the vegetable from Tatsuya’s hold and placed it on the shopping cart. “You’re acting weird.”

Tatsuya just followed along when Atsushi made his way down the aisle, making sure to stay as close to him as possible and trying to keep his smile in check. “It’s not the cabbages that made me smile Atsushi, it was you actually.” Tatsuya took a bag of gummy bears from one of the shelves closest to himself and threw it into the cart as well. “I was thinking about the first time we held hands. Do you remember how it happened?”

Suddenly Atsushi wasn’t whining anymore nor looking at Tatsuya in the eye. “Why would I remember that, it happened so long ago…”

Feeling mischievous, Tatsuya decided to tease his boyfriend a bit more. Putting his hand on his chest, he sighed dramatically. “I can’t believe you don’t remember such an important moment Atsushi! It was in spring…”

“…winter…”

“…and we were under a cherry tree…”

“...it was in a basketball court actually…”

“…and you were wearing your school uniform…”

“I was in shorts and a t-shirt at 2 am because you got drunk and decided you wanted to play basketball, yelling that you were going to be better than Kagami, then you tripped over your own feet and asked me to carry you all the way home. Muro-chin was a pain in the ass on that night.” Atsushi was making himself busy with some cans of peaches he found in one of the higher shelves, but Tatsuya knew neither of them particularly liked them and his pink ears didn’t lie.

Tatsuya couldn’t really hold back his smile anymore so he leaned forward and rested his forehead on Atsushi’s broad back, stray eyes be damned. “You didn’t carry me but you did hold my hand until we got home, saying ‘c’mon Muro-chin, you’re gonna catch a cold like this’, when you were the one in shorts and I was wearing a jacket somehow.”

Slowly, Atsushi turned around and leaned his forehead against Tatsuya’s, his fingers finding their way through Tatsuya’s, a small smile on his lips. “What would Muro-chin do without me?”

Tatsuya squeezed his boyfriend’s hands softly and closed his eyes, simply enjoying the moment. Who would’ve thought this pair of hands would be so dear to him one day.


	2. Rain

Sharing an umbrella at 9 pm in a deserted street with his crush wasn’t really in Atsushi’s plans for a Friday night. Hell, he never even considered sharing an umbrella with anyone _ever_ , since he was so tall and it would probably be kind of impossible and just very uncomfortable.

And yet here he was, with Tatsuya in tow, clinging to his arm and doing his very best to be as close to Atsushi as possible, the sly. _There’s only one umbrella and we’re the only ones left in the gym and it’s late_ , he said, looking at him with those fake, puppy eyes of his. _No one’s gonna see us, c’mon Atsushi_ , he said, already closing the gym’s door behind them and making himself comfortable next to Atsushi, as if sharing an umbrella with his 2.08 m tall friend was the most normal thing in the world.

But Atsushi knew better. He knew having a crush on Tatsuya was a hopeless move – he didn’t even remember when it first started. Was it the undivided attention Tatsuya gave him since the first day they met? Or was it the American sweets he kept giving him, saying they were presents from his teacher and that he “didn’t really eat them, you can have them Atsushi”? Maybe it was the way Tatsuya looked at him, fearless and determined and a little bit fond at times (or was it?), the way he wasn’t afraid of Atsushi and always faced him head-on, arguing and yelling and punching but ultimately accepting him the way he was. Maybe it all started months later, when Atsushi began noticing little things in his partner – the way his elegant hands grabbed the ball, how his fringe fell over his eye and how much Atsushi wished he could brush it away and stare at both his eyes as much as he wanted.

Atsushi knew it was hopeless and impossible, but he still found himself enjoying that tiny warm presence clinging to him at the moment, under a soft October rain, talking in a quiet, low tone about things Atsushi kept telling himself he wasn’t really interested in but knew deep down that he was, that he would always be, because this was Tatsuya and everything about him was fascinating.

He was brought back to reality when Tatsuya suddenly stopped in his tracks and stared at him with wide, worried eyes. “...why are you crying Atsushi?”

Atsushi touched his face with a hand and surely there they were – tears running down his cheeks. When had they gotten there, he wondered? Tatsuya kept looking at him in that worried way and Atsushi didn’t want him to worry about him so he said the first thing that came to mind. “I’m… I’m fine, don’t worry—”

“You’re not okay Atsushi, what happened? You can talk to me about it… please.” Tatsuya reached out and touched Atsushi’s cheek with his palm and Atsushi shivered because he’d dropped the umbrella and they were both under the rain now and Tatsuya’s hand was so warm.

Atsushi leaned into the touch and closed his eyes, covering Tatsuya’s hand with his own and almost whispering. “I… I think I like you, Muro-chin.” He was ready for Tatsuya to let go and maybe even yell at him or apologize, but he also thought that he wouldn’t be able to keep it all in for much longer, so now would be a good moment as any to let it out.

To his surprise, Tatsuya did neither of these things – instead, he cupped Atsushi’s cheeks with both his hands and stood on his tiptoes, getting as close as possible to Atsushi’s face so their noses were touching. Atsushi opened his eyes, startled, and was met with a smiling Tatsuya, cheeks slightly pink. “It took you long enough Atsushi!”

Atsushi was sure he had his mouth half opened in surprise, but he didn’t think twice before enveloping Tatsuya in a crushing hug, half lifting him in the air, and kissing him in the softest of ways, even though they were still in the middle of the street and getting all wet.

Sharing an umbrella with his crush on a Friday night wasn’t really in Atsushi’s plans, but he wasn’t complaining either.

 


	3. Firsts

Tatsuya was nervous. He thought he’d be prepared for this moment – he had thought this through more times than he could count during the past 10 months, he had discussed and asked enough questions to fill a book, he had cried and leaned on his husband and received enough hugs for a lifetime – but he was still a bundle of nerves standing in front of a door that lead to his future.

Two arms enveloped him from behind and a voice softer than usual (one that Tatsuya had been hearing a lot for the past 10 months) called out to him, a head resting on top of his own. “Feeling nervous?”

Tatsuya closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I told myself I was ready and yet, look at me, trembling all over.”

“If it makes you feel any better, I’m nervous as heck too.” Tatsuya could hear a smile in his words though – same old Atsushi, always confident in himself. “But he doesn’t know us yet, so we’re still safe, we can still make a nice first impression.”

Tatsuya couldn’t help but smile at that. “Yeah, I guess there’s still that at least.” He leaned back against Atsushi’s chest and found he could breathe better again. He was grateful for having Atsushi by his side now and always – he brought the peace and calm Tatsuya so much needed in his life and kept it there, being a reassuring presence when he most needed it. “I hope he likes us. I hope we’re able to give him all the love that he needs, I hope…” The last part came out almost in a whisper. “I hope he loves us too someday.”

Tatsuya could feel Atsushi’s soft embrace tightening for a moment before he let go and motioned for Tatsuya to turn around so they could face each other, his hand caressing his cheek. His expression was still calm but there was some kind of determination in his eyes that made Tatsuya stare in awe. “We’ll do our very best for that boy to have a life filled with happiness and good food, and he’ll love us a lot and hopefully you’ll learn how to cry less in the next few years.”

Laugh came bubbling up from inside Tatsuya – he couldn’t deny the fact that he’d come to be some kind of a big crier during the last few months, since he and Atsushi finally decided to start the process to adopt a baby and become parents, a thought that had stayed at the back of their minds for the longest time, both because they were still too busy with their professional lives and because they still didn’t feel capable of taking such a big step. When Tatsuya had brought it up again 10 months ago and Atsushi had agreed to finally do it, their lives had slowly but surely started to change, until it had brought them both to this place, minutes away from meeting their son for the first time.

Tatsuya felt overwhelmed and unsure a lot of times during this period, but he ultimately knew that this was what he wanted – what they both wanted – and no matter how many tears he had spilled (and would still spill), he wouldn’t give up now. Tatsuya could be a lot of things, but a quitter wasn’t one of them.

Atsushi held his hand and looked him in the eyes. “Ready?”

Tatsuya’s lips touched Atsushi’s in the lightest of kisses and a smile took away all of his insecurities. “With you, always.”

 


	4. Dream

Atsushi couldn’t sleep. Well, he _could_ sleep, but he always felt very tired when he woke up.

It had started sometime after his birthday, but it suddenly got much more frequent a week ago, the same dream hunting him night after night – he was in the middle of a forest, all alone, sitting against a tree, when suddenly a light appears in the distance. He feels curious about it and starts chasing it, but the light keeps getting further and further away from him, so he runs after it with everything he’s got. But it’s not enough so the light keeps getting further away until he can longer see it.

When he looks around again he’s not in a forest anymore but in a garden filled with sakura trees, and there’s a black-haired person wearing a pink kimono, sitting under one of the trees. Atsushi feels that curiosity bubbling inside him again so he approaches that person – only to find out that they have a bandaged eye and a sad smile adorning their face. They’re holding something shiny in their hands, and when Atsushi tries to reach out to them they suddenly disappear and Atsushi inevitably wakes up, feeling tired and frustrated.

He told his sister about it during breakfast on the third day it happened, and she only smiled and told him that he was a lucky one because he’d probably be meeting his soulmate soon. He honestly wasn’t looking forward to meeting them – why would he fall in love with someone who’d make him feel so tired and restless all the time?

But the thought had stayed at the back of his mind nonetheless. He’d never given this soulmate business much thought before – he knew everyone started having dreams after they reached the age of 16, all his friends had, but none had mentioned having this many at once, much less this vivid. Maybe his mind was broken and he was doomed to be tired for the rest of his life. He should ask Aka-chin or Mido-chin about this later, they were each other’s soulmates so they might be able to explain this to him a lot better.

On his first day in high school, he somehow found himself paying more attention to his surroundings than usual. His eyes would always search for the nearest black-haired person, or maybe even for someone who might have a bandage over one of their eyes. He sat down in the cafeteria during lunchtime feeling silly and even more tired than he was in the morning – how was he even supposed to find this supposed soulmate anyway? Would they come find him instead? Would they have some kind of warning on their back or a message on their forehead saying _I’m the one you’re looking for_? Were they even having the same dreams he was having?

He should really call Aka-chin soon, his sleepless nights were driving him insane.

After (reluctantly) applying for the school’s basketball club, he was ordered to get in line next to all the other freshmen to hear coach Masako’s first announcements of the year and plans for their next tournament. He was tired and quickly got bored with all her talking so he found himself yawning through the whole thing.

“I see we have two sleepyheads here so maybe we should start practice soon. I want 20 laps around the gym, no complaining!”

In the midst of all the groaning that ensued, Atsushi focused his attention elsewhere – had she said “two”? When he looked down there was already an eye (yes, only one) staring back at him, and a black fringe hiding half of his face.

“Ah, a purple marshmallow.”

Atsushi wasn’t sure if he should feel happy or angry at this point.

 


	5. Time

Tatsuya had been squinting at the bathroom mirror for about 10 minutes when Atsushi suddenly barged in. “I’ve been calling you for the past 5 minutes Muro-chin, do you want pasta or— what are you doing?”

Not even turning his head to look at the other man, Tatsuya simply kept examining his head closely. “I think I have another white hair.”

An exasperated sigh came from behind him and Tatsuya saw Atsushi’s reflection crossing his arms and leaning against the door frame. “This again? How many were there only this week? Are you sure it's not just your imagination?” Tatsuya didn’t even have to look to know that Atsushi had his usual mocking grin on his face, the one that made its appearance every time this topic came up.

Tatsuya turned around and fixed the towel hanging low on his hips before it slipped, trying to look as annoyed as he felt about this whole ordeal. “Do you want to check it yourself? I know I have some already, you don’t need to lie to me, I can take it.”

“I already told you I’m not lying, I really can’t see any white hairs on your head.”

“Well, today you’ll definitely find some, then.” Tatsuya padded all the way to the bathroom door and stopped in front of Atsushi, lowering his head in an offering and pointing with a hand. “Go on, see for yourself, they’re right there at the front.”

He could feel two big hands exploring his head in slow motions, and he had to mentally remind himself that he was still mad about his first aging signs and was _not_ supposed to lean into that soft touch. Damn Atsushi and his hands. “So? They’re there, right? Is it two or three? Say it Atsushi, I know they’re there!”

After a low humming, Atsushi actually snickered (the bastard) and patted his head gently. “Nope, no white hairs, you’re still safe and young. Now can we please go back to choosing dinner? I’m hungry.”

Tatsuya actually puffed his cheeks and pouted, crossing his arms – why was his husband always like this? “Why do you keep ignoring the fact that I’m getting old and ugly and that these white hairs will soon spread around my whole head and then you’ll be living with an old man? I bet you’ll be too embarrassed to go outside with me anymore.”

“You’re only 30, how is that even going to happen?”

“My mom got her first white hairs when she was 25, it’s only a matter of time Atsushi.”

“Muro-chin…” Atsushi placed his hands around Tatsuya’s hips and pulled him closer to himself. “Even if you had a hundred white hairs and the ugliest wart on your nose, I’d never be too embarrassed to go outside with you. Actually, I don’t think I’d ever find you ugly at all. You know why?”

Tatsuya still had his arms crossed but indulged Atsushi anyway. “Why is that, Atsushi?”

“Because I fell in love with you for what you are inside, not outside. Okay, maybe the outside had a bit to do with it too, but it’s mostly the inside that matters.” Atsushi was smiling now, and Tatsuya found himself unconsciously mirroring him.

“Are you saying that just because you’re hungry or do you actually mean it?”

Atsushi kissed the tip of his nose and turned around. “I’m ordering take-out, get dressed before you catch a cold.”

Tatsuya guessed food would always have a special place in Atsushi’s heart, no matter how many years passed.

 


	6. Secret

It was already 3 am but they somehow ended up lying on top of Atsushi’s (single) bed, Tatsuya resting his head on Atsushi’s stomach and Atsushi threading his fingers through Tatsuya’s hair, both slightly drunk but very much awake.

Atsushi didn’t usually drink – he didn’t really like the aftertaste that alcohol left in his mouth, much less the fact that it always made him a bit lightheaded – but Tatsuya had a bottle of some cheap vodka that his teacher had given him (was that even allowed?) and he wanted to try it but “not by myself, drink with me Atsushi, just one glass”, so Atsushi kept him company, but they ended the night with more than half the bottle gone and two tongues asking to be let free.

“Tell me a secret.”

Atsushi scrunched up his nose slightly in curiosity. “I don’t think I have those.”

Tatsuya chuckled and Atsushi could almost feel it on top of his belly. “Everyone has secrets, Atsushi. Some more than others but we all do. For example, I don’t actually like pickles all that much.”

“That’s not really a secret.”

“It is when you don’t tell your brother you don’t actually like them after eating his pickles for 5 years straight.”

“That’s stupid, why would you eat something you don’t actually like?” Atsushi briefly stopped stroking Tatsuya’s hair, waiting for his answer.

“Because I like him more than I care about pickles.”

“You’re too good to people Muro-chin, you should look after yourself more.”

Tatsuya laughed and rolled his head so he could peek at Atsushi. “That’s what you’re here for, right? Now you, tell me something no one else knows. You must have a secret too.”

Atsushi resumed his motion on Tatsuya’s head and squinted at the dark ceiling above them. “Hmm… Once I borrowed my brother’s favorite book but I ended up ripping one of the pages in half so I never gave it back to him. I always carry the piece of paper with me in my wallet.”

“Why do you carry it around?”

“To remind me that I need to control the amount of force I use on things.”

Tatsuya fell silent at that and Atsushi suddenly felt the need to blame this whole conversation on the alcohol. Had that been too much?

“Now who’s the one who should look after himself more?” Atsushi saw a smile forming on Tatsuya’s lips and let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. “Did you ever tell him about the book?”

“No, it’s still under my bed inside a box. Now that I think about it, there must be at least two pairs of socks and a cracked CD in there as well. What, I was a clumsy kid.”

“I hope you don’t have one of those boxes here in the dormitory, you can just tell me if you break something.”

Atsushi rolled his eyes. “I don’t, don’t worry. Now it’s your turn. What else are you hiding?”

Tatsuya hummed in thought. “I like people who are clumsy, and that drink alcohol with me even though they don’t really like it, and that have a heart bigger than they actually let people know they have. I like people who are tall, and cranky, and that like sweets.”

Atsushi felt his cheeks getting warm and stopped stroking Tatsuya’s hair again. “That’s not a secret.”

“Not anymore.” Tatsuya was suddenly on top of him, closing the short distance between their lips with a kiss.

Atsushi decided that drinking alcohol wasn’t all that bad after all.

 


	7. Fears

It’s not that Tatsuya is afraid of thunder.

He _used_ to be really scared of thunderstorms when he was a kid – all the noise outside that would wake him up in the middle of the night and the lightning that came with it were the perfect combination to leave a young Tatsuya in a shaky mess. His first instinct was to grab his favorite blanket, transform into a Tatsuya blanket burrito and run to his parents’ room, wriggling through the sheets and finding a spot between his mom and dad. _Only this one time_ , his mom would say – only it kept going until he was 5 years old and his fear of thunder never really went away.

When he got too old to sneak into his parents’ bed, he would hide underneath his own bedsheets and put his earphones on, filtering the sound outside and falling asleep to various rock and pop songs, wishing the storm would end as quickly as possible. His fear ended up being almost forgotten only during high school, when he was forced to share a room with someone else – and it ended up not being a forced situation at all, since he warmed up to Atsushi pretty fast.

The first time there was a thunderstorm during the school year, Tatsuya promised himself he wouldn’t do anything embarrassing in front of his new roommate, so he did his best casual performance (or what he thought would look like a casual one) and put one of his earphones on while smiling and saying that he’d “go to sleep earlier”, already putting the covers over himself. Atsushi probably saw through his fake act immediately because the next thing he knew, Atsushi was joining him under his own covers, putting an arm over Tatsuya. _It’s cold tonight Muro-chin, we should sleep together_ , he said. Tatsuya could swear he had never slept this well through a thunderstorm in his entire life so far, feeling cozy and protected by that warm presence right behind him.

What Tatsuya assumed would be a one-time thing became a more frequent scenario – they ended up sharing a bed through an entire week since the thunder just wouldn’t stop each night, and it kept going even after that. Tatsuya would either automatically slip into Atsushi’s bed or the taller boy would keep him company in his, as if there was some kind of silent agreement between them.

Later, when Tatsuya decided to finally ask Atsushi what was this _thing_ they were doing, Atsushi simply replied with a “isn’t that what couples do, sleeping together I mean?”, and Tatsuya only remembers throwing himself at Atsushi and kissing him senseless.

Again, it’s not that Tatsuya is afraid of thunder. He’s pretty sure he’s overcome his fear after so many years of sleeping with Atsushi by his side – it’s just that it’s always nice to hug his boyfriend as tightly as possible under the covers during a stormy night and have him hug back, while whispering a _you’re_ _so spoiled, come here_ in his ear.

 


	8. Photography

It’s Sunday morning and Atsushi is the first one to wake up, an unusual occurrence in a long while. He’s used to having Tatsuya’s warm and soft voice calling out to him on slow days like these when they’re allowed to sleep in without having to worry about being someplace else at a certain time. Last night they somehow forgot to close the bedroom blinds so here he is, awake and with sunlight hitting him right in the face.

He looks down and feels the corners of his mouth tipping up in a hint of a smile by the view. Tatsuya is sleeping peacefully, hiding his face on the crook of Atsushi’s neck, an arm thrown over his stomach, looking like he couldn’t be any more comfortable even if he tried. He’s fully naked under the covers – Atsushi would know, since he gave Tatsuya a helping hand on that department last night –, and Atsushi closes his eyes and relishes on that skin-on-skin sensation, one that he’ll never really get tired of, no matter how many years go by. Tatsuya is smaller than him in most aspects of his body and Atsushi is grateful for that every day – he wouldn’t be able to hold him in his arms this easily otherwise; he has muscle where it really matters, however, thanks to all the exercise he still does every week, even after he stopped doing basketball professionally, so really, Atsushi ought to appreciate all these small moments when he can.

Atsushi looks at the clock on his bedside table – 9:32 am. He could go back to sleep, turn on his side so he could hold Tatsuya tighter in his arms and make their morning even more comfortable, but he doesn’t think he can, not after all these pleasant thoughts taking his mind by assault. He decides to get up and make them both a nice breakfast – pancakes with a lot of maple syrup (Atsushi’s favorite) and some strawberries (Tatsuya’s favorite) would be a good idea. He slides out of bed very slowly, not to wake up the sleeping figure resting by his side, and something else catches his eye on his bedside table. His phone lies dormant (Atsushi hopes there’s no new messages nor calls of any kind), and suddenly he has an idea.

He’s never been much of a technology fan – he only checks his phone three or four times during the day, only because Tatsuya makes him do it, sending him all kinds of messages and pictures, and because Akashi and Midorima usually check up on him every other week. He only has a Facebook account because some of his friends are overseas at the moment and he decided that this would be the easiest way to keep in contact and know everything that’s been happening lately. All the photos he has there are either the ones Tatsuya took of them or of the many desserts he comes up with every week. He doesn’t really know why he does it, but he finds himself pulling up the camera app on his phone and finding the perfect angle to catch Tatsuya’s peaceful silhouette, bathed in the morning light that’s slowly filling their bedroom with its golden light. He makes it his new wallpaper and smiles to himself while heading to the kitchen, not before pressing a light kiss on Tatsuya’s forehead.

Maybe he should wake up earlier more often after all.

 


	9. Birthday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy birthday Mukkun ❤

The kitchen is a total mess. Things weren’t supposed to be like this – Tatsuya had a nice, simple plan that he meant to follow but then Atsushi’s friends decided to “help out” and nothing happened as it should.

Tatsuya wanted to surprise Atsushi on his birthday. He knew how uninterested his boyfriend was about things regarding himself (about a lot of things in general, actually), but he still wanted him to know that Tatsuya cared, that he was glad Atsushi was born on this day and that he was able to meet him and create something good with him. Tatsuya would never admit it out loud but he was a romantic at heart, and just the thought of getting to see Atsushi smiling or getting flustered about this surprise made him extremely giddy inside.

He had it all planned out: he was going to have Liu keep him outside for as long as he could, while Tatsuya and the rest of their upperclassmen stayed in the dorm kitchen making a simple cake and finishing their birthday gift – a small photo album with a collection of memories from their last year. It was a good plan, in Tatsuya’s opinion.

He had all the ingredients ready, the album had been bought and the photos were ready to be printed, everything was ready – until he got a phone call from Kise.

“Hello, Himuro-san? Listen where are you right now?”

Tatsuya pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at the name on the screen – it really was Kise. “Kise-kun? Hello, how are you doing? Why do you want to know where I am?”

Tatsuya heard rustling on the other side and low voices. “It’s just that we’re at the gate outside your dorm and we don’t really know how to get in.”

“ _We_? Who’s with you? And what are you doing in Akita on a Monday afternoon?” Tatsuya could already guess what was coming.

“I’m with Kurokocchi and the others, Akashicchi let everyone know about Murasakibaracchi’s birthday party and organized it so we could all come help out and celebrate with you guys! Could you come outside? I think we’re drawing too much attention for some reason…”

“…I’ll be there in a second.” Himuro hung up and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. How did Akashi know about this? The only people supposed to know about it were Tatsuya and a few people from their team! How resourceful could Akashi Seijuurou really be?

Great, Atsushi’s friends came to Akita for his birthday. That was actually… sweet of them, but it really wasn’t in Tatsuya’s plans for such a big group to be helping out with the preparations. Well, how bad could it be anyway?

Half an hour later, Tatsuya wished he hadn’t asked.

Kise and the miracles gang brought all kinds of foods – bags of chips, pocky, a variety of chocolates and lollipops and gummy bears and even that strange colored snack Atsushi loves preparing sometimes. Then all of them (yes, all 5 of them) tried to ‘help’ with the cake making and everything got obviously messy from there – Kise and Aomine spilled flour everywhere, Akashi _tried_ to beat the eggs, Kuroko kept disappearing and scaring Tatsuya when he appeared out of nowhere and Midorima managed to let the cake get burnt because Tatsuya went to check on the upperclassmen and the gift and took too long to come back.

Tatsuya wanted to dig a hole and disappear as soon as he entered the kitchen and saw Atsushi sitting in a corner, munching on a pocky stick with an amused Liu right next to him, watching while everyone yelled at each other over the damaged cake.

Himuro resigned to his fate and sighed, crossing his arms and leaning on the door frame, with both Okamura and Fukui behind him already snickering at the whole scene. “I can’t believe the birthday boy is here and no one even noticed… Atsushi is kinda tall, you know?”

Atsushi turned his head to look at him and there was a hint of a smile on his lips. “It’s okay Muro-chin, I’m already having plenty of fun anyway.”

Later, when Atsushi had full control of the cake and everyone was outside making the rest of the preparations, Tatsuya managed to slip into the kitchen and rest his head on Atsushi’s shoulder while they were waiting for the cake to come out of the oven.

“I’m sorry about this Atsushi, this was supposed to be a surprise and you ended up having to bake the cake yourself… Your friends are great, but I wish they could be a bit less… messy when they’re together.”

Atsushi snorted and wrapped an arm around Tatsuya’s middle. “I think they’re better now, in middle school everyone was much louder than this. Thank you though.” Tatsuya could feel Atsushi pressing his lips on top of his head. “I’m glad you guys did this, even if it would be fine even if it was just the two of us.”

Tatsuya looked up to find a flustered Atsushi and smiled. “Yeah, it would be fine, but it wouldn’t be as much fun as this.”

 


	10. Tears

If there was something Atsushi really liked, it was definitely seeing Tatsuya smile.

Tatsuya had many types of smiles, almost one for each day of the week – one when he was feeling satisfied, a smug grin that gave away his competitive side; one when he needed to be polite and nice to someone, a smile that showed no teeth; one when he was angry but couldn’t let anyone notice, a smile that often gave Atsushi the chills. But his personal favorite was probably Tatsuya’s happy smile, a smile that made its appearance only under certain circumstances and with a select group of people he trusted.

But if there was something Atsushi most definitely didn’t like was seeing Tatsuya crying.

The first time he saw him crying was at the school’s gym, after a particularly bad practice. Tatsuya had been missing all his throws on that day and managed to get yelled at by their coach and the upperclassmen more than once – Atsushi could almost see the air around him slowly changing to a menacing one, as if saying ‘don’t get close or I’ll bite’. After practice Tatsuya stayed behind by himself, still insisting on his throws, and when Atsushi came back to check up on him, he found him sitting in front of the hoop, head down and low sobs coming from him. Atsushi got closer and rested a hand on top of his head, not uttering a single word.

After that, he had to see Tatsuya cry a few more times – less from sadness and more from frustration anyway – but after they officially got together Atsushi promised himself he’d make Tatsuya laugh as much as possible because tears just didn’t go well with those beautiful eyes of his.

That’s how he found himself holding a giggling Tatsuya on a Saturday night, during their weekly cinema session, on their living room sofa. In his defense, Tatsuya had started it – you don’t just call him a _softie_ and hope to get away with it safe and sound.

“Who’s a softie now? I’m not the one dying from tickles.” Atsushi kept hitting Tatsuya’s softer spots in his stomach and making him laugh even more, the sound pleasing and entertaining.

“P-please stop, I can’t–!” Tatsuya kept laughing and trying to get away from Atsushi’s hold, tears already slipping out of his eyes, but Atsushi was stronger and they both knew that. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I w-won’t call you t-that again, so stop–!’”

Atsushi slowly let go of him, but not leaving the subject just yet. “Why would you call me that anyway, you’re the one who ends up crying with all these mushy movies, not me.”

Tatsuya took a deep breath before answering. “Yeah, but you’re the one who’s nice to people when they’re least expecting it. Wasn’t it you who helped that poor guy with his form the other day? And you never forget anyone’s birthday on your close group of friends, that’s what I’m referring to.”

“Those are all lies, I don’t always remember their birthdays.”

Tatsuya snorted and leaned against Atsushi’s side. “You’re the one who always reminds me about Taiga’s birthday and you don’t even like him all that much, _supposedly_.”

Atsushi hummed and decided this wasn’t a good conversation topic anymore. “ _Anyway_ , don’t try to call me a softie again or there will be retaliation.”

Tatsuya looks at him from under his eyelashes and there it is again – that smug grin Atsushi likes so much. “Oh really… softie?”

Atsushi makes sure Tatsuya regrets his words thoroughly.

 


	11. Habits

Atsushi has fallen into a habit that Tatsuya finds really cute. Whenever Tatsuya gets home early enough, he always catches Atsushi singing in the shower.

At first, he thought it was a one-time thing since it had never happened before and Atsushi himself always says he sings really, _really_ badly – even though Tatsuya had never heard him sing before. It was an early morning, Tatsuya was slowly waking up when he noticed a sound coming from the bathroom, recognizing Atsushi’s voice instantly. When his boyfriend came into the room again, he pretended to be asleep, both because he knew Atsushi would probably wake him up with a lot of kisses and because he didn’t want Atsushi to feel embarrassed by his new hobby.

But then it kept happening – at the end of the night, when Tatsuya was on dishwashing duty, on the rare mornings when Atsushi would wake up before him, or in the middle of the afternoon, after Atsushi came home from his weekly basketball practice. He sang loudly and happily, as if he’d never said he didn’t like singing in his life, and they were all songs he probably heard on the radio a few times. Tatsuya found it adorable and somehow kind of sexy, since Atsushi’s voice wasn’t really all that bad anyway.

One day during dinner Tatsuya brought up the subject. “So you do like singing after all. I knew you didn’t have that bad a voice.”

Atsushi froze in place. “…you heard?”

Tatsuya takes a spoonful of his pudding and smiles. “Well yeah, sometimes I manage to come home early and get to hear you sing. Why do you always say you sing badly, you have a nice voice.”

“…I do?” Atsushi looks at him like he’s grown a second head.

“Yeah, I really like to hear your songs, even if I don’t recognize half of them most of the time.”

Atsushi finally relaxes and a small smile appears on his lips. “They’re from the gym radio, I keep humming them on the way here and it’s kinda fun singing them in the bathroom, with all the echo. You do the same thing, singing I mean.”

Tatsuya stops with the spoon halfway to his mouth to gape at Atsushi. “What do you mean?”

Atsushi smiles to himself, as if he knew something Tatsuya didn’t. “You sing all the time, and not just in the shower. Whenever it’s your turn to cook I always find you singing and dancing those rock songs you like. The other day the lady next door asked me if the ‘young man’ living with me was a professional singer. I think you have some fans Muro-chin.”

Tatsuya puts his spoon down and feels his cheeks getting warm. “I… I didn’t know I did that…” He smiles despite himself. “Maybe we could start a band together, what do you think Atsushi?”

His boyfriend picks up his own spoon and finishes his pudding. “Don’t even joke about that Muro-chin, can you imagine the money we’d have to spend on all those broken windows?”

Tatsuya laughs and finishes his own pudding. Maybe spending so much time with someone really does influence your own habits after all.

 


	12. Future

Maybe he’s dead. Yes, that’s definitely it. That ball hit his head too hard and he died and went to heaven, since that’s the only plausible explanation for what’s happening right now.

One moment Atsushi is in the middle of the court, arms in the air asking for the ball to come his way, and the other he’s on the floor, blood coming down from his forehead after the ball hit him right in the head, with everyone gathered around him, and suddenly everything goes dark. Now he wakes up on a sofa in a living room he doesn’t recognize to a Muro-chin smiling down at him that he knows… but at the same time doesn’t.

This Muro-chin looks… older. Still handsome and smaller than him and definitely still built, but mostly older. The last time Atsushi looked at him he certainly didn’t have any wrinkles around his eyes. He’s pretty sure the man has been calling his name for the past 5 minutes but he can’t seem to form a coherent sentence in his head at the moment, so he just goes with the first thing that comes to mind.

“…Muro-chin?”

Smooth.

This older Muro-chin, who was starting to look distressed, visibly relaxes and sighs, smiling at Atsushi again. “You scared me for a moment, Atsushi. You weren’t answering so I thought you were still asleep or something. And what’s with that ‘Muro-chin’, you haven’t called me that in years.”

…did he just say _years_? “…right. Sorry…”

“Tatsuya. That’s my name, you dummy. Are you still half asleep after all?” Tatsuya leans down and presses his lips against Atsushi’s in a light kiss, leaving Atsushi wide-eyed and speechless yet again. Okay, this is definitely weird.

Atsushi sits up abruptly and Tatsuya ends up on his lap, startled. “What’s wrong Atsushi? You’re not looking so good, are you hungry?”

“Yes… No, it’s not that. How long did I sleep?”

“Hmm, probably 2 hours or so? You said you wanted to take a nap before we had to leave for Taiga’s engagement dinner and—”

“Engagement dinner? Kagami is getting married?”

Tatsuya looks at him with narrowed eyes, confusion clear on his face. “Yes… He and Kuroko-kun have been planning this for a few months now… You know what Atsushi?” The man pushes Atsushi down on the sofa again, both hands on his chest, and settles himself on top of him, snuggling against his neck. “Let’s take another nap together, we still have some time before the party. You look like you need it.”

Atsushi rests his hands on Tatsuya’s lower back tentatively, and wonders for the umpteenth time during the last 10 minutes how the hell he ended up cuddling with an older version of his basketball partner in a sofa he doesn’t recognize. Also, what’s going on with Kagami and Kuro-chin?

He closes his eyes and breathes the other man’s scent in – body soap mixed with cinnamon and that awful hairspray he insists on using from time to time. Atsushi smiles despite this whole strange situation. “You didn’t change at all.”

The last thing Atsushi hears before he falls asleep is “Good, because I want us never to change either, baby.”

When Atsushi opens his eyes again, he’s lying on one of the school’s infirmary beds – something he can recognize, finally. Next to him is Muro-chin, sitting on one of the small benches available in the room, already smiling down at him.

“Welcome back, sleeping beauty. You hit your head pretty bad but the nurse says you’re gonna be fine, you just need to rest for a few days… Why are you smiling?”

Atsushi looks at the ceiling and his smile doesn’t disappear. “I just had a nice dream, that’s all.”

 


	13. Touch

Atsushi gained some weight and Tatsuya can’t keep his hands off him. Personally, he thinks it’s the cutest thing but Atsushi may not have the same opinion.

He first noticed it a few weeks before, when he went to pick Atsushi up from the bakery where he works, while he was changing shirts so he could go home. If there’s something Tatsuya loves doing is admiring his boyfriend from afar, paying special attention to the muscles on his back and the way his abs flex with each small movement. Or at least the way they used to.

Tatsuya gets closer and touches his belly from behind, feeling the small bits of fat starting to gather there. Atsushi simply looks down and stares at his hands.

“What are you doing?”

“Your belly is getting softer so I’m helping myself.”

“No, it’s not.”

Tatsuya snorts and keeps rubbing it. “Yes, it is. You stopped going to the gym because of work and all these cakes are spoiling you too much.”

Tatsuya observes while Atsushi takes a closer look at his own body on the mirror placed in the locker room and visibly winces. “Hmm… Maybe you’re right… But I’m tall so it’s fine…”

“If you say so. I don’t really mind it, it’s just one more way for me to sleep as comfortably as possible. You’re already warm enough as it is, so this just adds to the list of nice things.”

Tatsuya leaves it at that and doesn’t talk about it again during the next few days – but he does keep touching Atsushi’s new fluffy belly whenever he has the chance.

If Atsushi is in the kitchen preparing dinner, Tatsuya always walks by and pinches his side; if he just finished his shower, Tatsuya will definitely come from behind and touch his belly; when they’re cuddling on the sofa, Tatsuya will most probably lean against Atsushi’s chest and rest on that newfound softness.

He’s honestly having the time of his life but Atsushi gets fed up quite quickly.

“Why do you keep doing that?”

Tatsuya feigns ignorance while resting his head on his boyfriend’s stomach. “Doing what?”

“That. You keep touching me a lot these days.”

“You’re my boyfriend, I’m supposed to be allowed to touch you a lot.”

“Yeah, but it’s only on my belly though. There’s more of me you know?”

Tatsuya laughs and lifts his head, repositioning himself so he could wrap his arms around Atsushi’s neck and rest his head on his shoulder. “But it’s fun, you’re all soft now, like a big bear.”

Atsushi scowls but Tatsuya knows he’s not really angry. “I’m buying a new gym membership tomorrow, I miss playing basketball and feeling sore all over.”

“Aww really? And now when I was really enjoying myself.”

Atsushi flips Tatsuya over and changes their positions so he’d be on top of him. “I don’t like it when my belly gets more attention than me.”

Tatsuya snickers and closes his eyes, kissing his boyfriend on the nose. “I’d love you either way, with or without a soft belly.”

 


	14. Cuddles

Visiting his family home was a tiring idea all by itself – but if he added Tatsuya to the equation then things would really get out of hand.

His mom was the one who suggested it when Atsushi mentioned during a call that he’d be visiting Japan soon, for a team gathering of sorts.

“If you’re coming home I hope you’re bringing your boy with you, it’s time he meets the family, don’t you think?”

“Mom, I don’t think Muro-chin would want that just yet…”

“What wouldn’t I want just yet?” Tatsuya was arriving from work at that moment and all hell broke loose when Atsushi became the intermediate between his mother and him, while they were both making plans without any of his consent. By the end of that phone call, Tatsuya was all smiles because he’d be meeting Atsushi’s family soon and his mom sounded very satisfied on the other end of the line – Atsushi could feel a headache coming.

This is how he ended up at his family’s lunch table five days later, squished between both of his older twin sisters and trying very hard not to mind half of his family’s comments about his boyfriend.

“Why have you never brought him home, he’s gorgeous Atsushi!”

“How did you even manage to find him, does he know about your lazy habits?”

Atsushi tried really hard not to roll his eyes at them – he just wanted to enjoy his mother’s home cooked food, thank you very much. “He lives with me, he knows how I am just fine. And I do help at home okay, what kind of sisters are you…”

They looked at each other and smiled. “The kind that lived with their baby brother for 18 years and know exactly the kind of pain in the ass he can be sometimes.” Both of them kissed his cheeks at the same time and went back to their meal, leaving a flustered Atsushi to his own thoughts. If he said he didn’t miss this kind of thing he’d be lying, but he also wished his sisters could hold back sometimes, he wasn’t a little boy anymore.

He glanced at the people across from him and found he couldn’t hold back a small smile. Tatsuya was in his element – he’d been chatting away with Atsushi’s mom and older sister for the most part of the morning, distributing smiles and telling stories of their days together in the States. Atsushi’s mom always complained that her son never told her much about his new routines (too much of a hassle, really), but Atsushi knew Tatsuya would probably be taking care of that from now on. Tatsuya glanced up and discreetly winked at him and Atsushi rolled his eyes, which made Tatsuya giggle and earned them a _no flirting during lunch!_ comment from his mom. Honestly.

Later, when they managed to find an empty spot in one of the garden benches, away from prying eyes, Atsushi made up for lost time with a lot of cuddling under the big willow tree, settling Tatsuya against his chest and wrapping his arms around him, resting his head on his shoulder and feeling that sweet scent only Tatsuya had.

Tatsuya leaned his head back and closed his eyes. “I’m glad I got to meet your family, they’re all really nice. I think I know where you got your cooking skills now.”

“Yeah, mom loves cooking and it had to stay with someone I guess. My older sister can’t really cook but my brother and the twins learned a few things. I’m just glad they only made a few comments, coming home gets tiring because there are so many people at once, but with you here I thought it would be ten times worse.”

Atsushi could feel Tatsuya squirming in his arms, giggling. “Your sisters told me a bunch of stories about you from when you were kids, I think coming here was a _great_ idea.”

“…they told you about the shirt incident, didn’t they?”

Tatsuya laughed out loud this time and kissed Atsushi’s cheek. “They even showed me photos! Your sisters are the best.”

Atsushi rolled his eyes for the umpteenth time that day and sighed – this was going to be a long weekend.

 


	15. Moving In

Tatsuya keeps losing stuff at Atsushi’s place and it’s becoming a problem. Well, he’s not exactly _losing_ stuff – it’s more like leaving it there for practicality’s sake.

The truth is he’s been spending more time at his boyfriend’s apartment than at his own place lately, partially because Atsushi’s place is closer to his part-time job, partially because Atsushi makes delicious food and Tatsuya just can’t be bothered to cook every single day. He hasn’t slept in his own bed for at least two weeks now and he already has a drawer of his own at Atsushi’s room, not to mention the toothbrush sitting next to Atsushi’s in his bathroom.

He doesn’t know how this happened but he may or may not be slowly moving in with Atsushi. Again.

He’s sitting on Atsushi’s bed, reading the newest issue of Basketball Monthly and stealing glances at his boyfriend while he changes when it suddenly occurs to him.

“Should I move in with you?”

Atsushi turns around, shirt halfway through his head, and makes a face. “Aren’t you already practically living here though? We’re even sharing a laundry basket.” He turns around again and grabs the pants lying on the ground.

Tatsuya follows the movement with his eyes, appreciating the view. “Yeah, but I’m not _actually_ living here… I’m talking about moving for real, bring all my things and get my own spot on the sofa…”

“Muro-chin…” Atsushi finishes zipping his pants and grabs his sneakers, motioning for Tatsuya to make space for him on the bed so he can sit down. “You already have that too, you’re the one doing grocery shopping these days even… I thought we’d be sharing a house after high school, just like we used to at the dorms, but Muro-chin was the one who insisted on each of us getting their own place.”

Tatsuya rests his head on Atsushi’s shoulder while he ties his shoelaces and pouts. “Of course I did, we couldn’t be relying on each other all the time, especially you Atsushi. I wanted you to learn how to be more independent.”

“I spent my last year of high school without you, I think that was enough of independence for a year. And anyway, you’re the one spending all your time in _my_ house, not the other way around. Who needs to learn independence now?” Tatsuya couldn’t see it, but he knew Atsushi was most definitely smirking now.

He groans and leans back, lying down on the bed and closing his eyes, feeling Atsushi’s warmth leaving him as he stands up. “Okay, fine, I’ll give you that one. But still, do you want me to move in? You’re the one who decides Atsushi.”

Tatsuya suddenly feels something cold hitting his forehead and opens his eyes, getting a face full of hair and a silver key hanging from a small, basketball-shaped keychain. “I think the question is, when are you moving in?”

Tatsuya smiles and grabs Atsushi’s neck, kissing him deeply. They had a lot of packing up to do, together.

 


	16. Stare

Sometimes Atsushi found himself staring at his boyfriend. It didn’t matter the time of the day or the place, Atsushi would just unconsciously stop everything he was doing and take a good look at Tatsuya. It had happened several times already – there was this one time at the grocery store when Atsushi had to pay for a bottle of milk he accidentally dropped, and that one other time when the pancakes they were having for breakfast got completely burned. The list could go on, but Atsushi preferred not to think about it too much.

It was just that Tatsuya was too handsome and beautiful for his own good, Atsushi mused. It wasn’t fair that he had such expressive grey eyes (mostly one, but Atsushi was one of the few with the privilege to see both whenever he wanted) and smooth, black hair and a dazzling, tender smile all the time. Some days Atsushi stared and thought that maybe he had spent all his luck on the day Tatsuya had kissed him and his world had gotten a lot brighter than before.

Every time it happened and Tatsuya actually noticed, he’d just grin at Atsushi or wink or say _if you stare too much you’ll burn a hole in me Atsushi_ , all the while with a slight blush on his cheeks, and that’s when Atsushi would lose his entire composure – how could you _not_ kiss such an enticing boyfriend?

The same thing was happening right now, in this small restaurant, and Atsushi could feel more than see Kagami rolling his eyes right next to him.

“You’re staring too much, he’ll notice you know.” Kagami poked him with an elbow and Atsushi frowned.

“So? He’s my boyfriend, I should be able to stare at him all I want.”

“Yeah, but not during a friend’s gathering! Can’t you guys behave in public?”

Atsushi took his eyes way from Tatsuya, who was talking rather animatedly with both Kuroko and Takao on the other side of the table, and glared at Kagami. “I think you’re just jealous because Kuro-chin won’t kiss you in public.”

“You’re not supposed to kiss anyone in front of your friends, that’s embarrassing!”

“Everyone knows we’re dating anyway, so what’s the big deal?” Atsushi turned his head to take a good look at the person next to him, only to find a flustered Kagami trying very hard not to get caught looking at the same spot Atsushi was staring at not moments ago. “See, you’re doing it too, don’t be a hypocrite.”

“I’m not staring, I was just… checking on him.”

“He’s literally on the other side of the table, he doesn’t need to be checked on.”

“You do know we can hear you, right?” Tatsuya was wiping away tears from his eyes and there was a smile on his lips, with a clearly amused Kuroko hiding his mouth behind his palm right next to him.

“He started it, saying I couldn’t stare at you.”

“I didn’t say you couldn’t, just that you should hold back!”

“Atsushi can stare all he wants,” Tatsuya was smirking at both of them, head resting in his palm, “I’m not really opposed to that.”

“See? If Muro-chin doesn’t mind then I’ll just keep enjoying the view.” Tatsuya reached out to Atsushi with a hand over the table, which Atsushi grabbed, already leaning down for a kiss.

He vaguely remembers hearing Kagami mutter something like _I can’t believe these two_ before closing his eyes and forgetting about everything else for a sweet moment.

 


	17. Food

Atsushi got sick and Tatsuya doesn’t know if he should be laughing or crying.

It’s the first time he’s seen his boyfriend like this, watery eyes and a pink nose accompanied by strong coughing fits, and while he knew Atsushi could be a bit cranky he never imagined him to be _this_ bad.

He has mood swings, wanting Tatsuya to stay with him one moment and pushing him away the next. He refuses to take his medicine, growing progressively more miserable and sick as time passes. He tries to sneak all kinds of snacks into bed when Tatsuya isn’t looking, almost blowing his nose on one of the wrappers at one point.

He's whiny and grumpy and completely insufferable and Tatsuya is still so much in love with him.

This thought hits him rather suddenly when he's trying to coax Atsushi into eating some of his rice porridge. Atsushi is glaring at him, looking like he’s six years old with his messy hair and pouty face. “Atsushi, please,” Tatsuya says, a little desperately, “you need to eat something that isn’t just snacks or sweets.”

Atsushi, like the absolute baby he is, turns his face away and Tatsuya wants to both strangle him and spend the rest of his life taking care of him. “I don’t want to eat something that has no flavor and smells that badly.”

Tatsuya doesn’t know if he should feel offended by that but he decides against it, as Atsushi is already hard to deal with as it is. “If you don’t eat at least half of this and take your medicine afterwards, I’m hiding all your snacks for an entire month.”

Atsushi turns his head and narrows his eyes. “You wouldn’t.”

Tatsuya holds out the bowl of porridge. “I’ve found your secret locker of snacks once, hiding the key is just the next step.”

Atsushi glares in silence for a few more seconds before surrendering. He refuses Tatsuya’s offer to being fed though, so he takes the bowl in his hands, scowling every time he takes a bite. He eats more than half before handing the bowl back to Tatsuya, who promptly hands him two pills and a glass of water, making sure he swallows them, before heading to the kitchen. He throws away the rest of the porridge and puts the bowl in the sink.

When he goes back to the bedroom, Atsushi has buried himself under the covers, only the top of his head barely visible.

It's still fairly early, but Tatsuya feels exhausted from a full day of taking care of Atsushi, so he quickly changes into his pajamas and slides into bed. Atsushi immediately reaches out to him, snuggling into his side and resting his head on Tatsuya’s chest.

“Sorry for being grumpy,” Atsushi mumbles.

Tatsuya pulls him closer and kisses the top of his head. “You’re not that bad.” He starts stroking his hand through Atsushi’s hair, figuring it's the fastest way to get him to fall asleep.

A few minutes later, Atsushi sighs, “You’re the best boyfriend ever, Muro-chin.”

It comes out a bit nasally and Tatsuya is pretty sure he’s going to wake up tomorrow with snot on his chest, but he can’t really mind it when Atsushi twists his hand in the front of his t-shirt and starts snoring softly.

 


	18. Kiss

Tatsuya started wearing glasses and Atsushi never thought he’d have to deal with this in his life but here he was anyway.

Tatsuya had skipped classes the day before, saying he had a doctor’s appointment, but Atsushi never imagined he’d be seeing a bespectacled Tatsuya the day after. _It’s just for reading and classes in general, I’ve been getting strange headaches and this should fix them_ , he’d said. Atsushi wants to throw himself out a window and never come back.

Tatsuya is just sitting there at his desk, taking notes during class completely calm, like wearing glasses isn’t a huge deal, like Atsushi isn’t ready to die with a stroke at any given moment. Every time Tatsuya pushes them up the bridge of his nose, Atsushi wants to hit his head on his own desk.

Damn him.

Damn him and his perfect, black hair and his tender, grey eyes and his pretty, full, _very kissable_ mouth that Atsushi keeps trying not to look at. And damn himself too, for having such a ridiculous crush on his teammate.

At some point during class, Tatsuya turns around and whispers something at Atsushi – something which he clearly doesn’t pay any attention to, because someone out there is definitely trying to kill him. The glasses look really good on Tatsuya. They’re simple, a black frame all around it with a thin, purple line adorning the temples, which probably ended behind Tatsuya’s ear. Why did it have to be purple, of all things?

Tatsuya raises his eyebrows at Atsushi, probably still waiting for a reply, which makes the glasses slip down his nose a little, and Atsushi is ready to go outside and run 20 laps around the gym, for his own surprise. He forces himself too look down at his notebook and mumbles a half-assed answer, at which Tatsuya shrugs and turns around again.

During one of the classes in the afternoon, Tatsuya pushes the glasses up on his forehead and squints at the board, his nose wrinkling as he narrows his eyes at whatever the teacher is writing there. Atsushi cannot believe how cute Tatsuya looks right now, this can’t be fair _at all_.

He has possibly the most unproductive day of school ever, and that’s saying a lot, seeing Atsushi was a lazy person by default.

After school, Tatsuya grabs his arm on the way out of class and Atsushi wants to disappear when he looks down at that new sight.

“Is everything alright, Atsushi? You’ve been kind of out of it all day”, he asks. If only he knew.

“Yeah… You have nice glasses,” he says.

Tatsuya looks out the window through them and smiles. “I’m glad you like them, I had some difficulty choosing them but I thought these colors would fit me best.” He turns his head to look at Atsushi again and his cheeks are a little bit pink.

Atsushi just knows his self-control went out that same window five seconds ago and a moment later he has his lips pressed against Tatsuya’s, right in the middle of the empty hallway. When Tatsuya tilts his head slightly, the glasses bump into Atsushi’s face and they have to pull back, but when Atsushi opens his eyes Tatsuya has already pushed them back up onto his forehead and is already leaning back in.

“Let’s try that again.”

Atsushi is definitely not complaining.

 


	19. Smile

Ever since Tatsuya started working at that coffee shop a year ago, he’s had every customer who walks in wrapped around his little finger.

He bats his eyelashes, shows his special smile. “Would you like a slice of pie with that? They’re the best in town, I can assure you.” Everyone falls for his tricks and he gets to see every single one of his customers get flustered and shy, in addition to buying whatever Tatsuya suggests on that day.

Well, everyone except Atsushi.

Atsushi is a new customer that started frequenting the place a few months ago – a college student, Tatsuya supposes, since he always brings his laptop and notebooks with him in the afternoons. Atsushi is tall and handsome and has the softest-looking hair Tatsuya has seen in a while, and he’s pretty sure there’re muscles under those large shirts and baggy overalls he always wears.

The thing is, Atsushi never smiles and that keeps getting on Tatsuya’s nerves.

In the beginning, he tried telling himself it wasn’t a big deal – Atsushi probably just wasn’t a person who smiled a lot in general, so there was nothing Tatsuya could do. He would come in, ask for his usual mocha latte (with extra chocolate) and Tatsuya didn’t even have to make any suggestions since Atsushi always knew exactly what he’d be eating.

“Two slices of that apple pie and one of that chocolate cake.”

Tatsuya always showed him his most dazzling smile, in hopes Atsushi would smile back, but it never happened. “What about a mille-feuille today? They taste amazing!”

“Not today.”

However, Tatsuya noticed that Atsushi was indeed able to smile. One day, he brought some of his friends to the shop and while they were all chatting away throughout the afternoon, Tatsuya was able to see Atsushi actually smiling and even laughing aloud, to his surprise.

 _So it’s me he has a problem with_ , he thought.

From that day on, Tatsuya made it his mission to do everything in his power to steal a smile away from Atsushi and make it his own.

The problem is, Tatsuya somehow can’t use his tricks on Atsushi anymore because he’s too busy staring at those warm violet eyes and cheekbones that could probably cut glass to even smile properly anymore.

One cold afternoon, Atsushi shows up in a pea-coat and a knitted dark lavender hat on his head with a matching scarf wrapped around his neck, covering his mouth. He reaches up and pushes it down from his face. His cheeks are tinted red, and even the tip of his nose is slightly pink.

With anyone else, Tatsuya would smile and offer a way to warm him up; with Atsushi, he just says, “It’s cold out there, huh?” and then wants to kick himself because that’s definitely _not_ smooth at all.

Atsushi clears his throat. “A little bit, yeah.”

Tatsuya rolls his eyes internally at himself and tries to end his own suffering. “A mocha latte, right?”

Atsushi looks everywhere except at his face. “Yeah.”

Tatsuya frowns. “Are you feeling okay?”

“Huh?” Atsushi blinks and finally looks him in the eye. He bites his lip. “I mean, yeah.” He coughs again, straightening his shoulders. “I was thinking maybe I should get something I still haven’t tried today.”

“Oh?” Now that’s something new. “What will it be, then?”

Atsushi’s eyes shift to the cake display and back. He looks almost… nervous? “What would you choose?”

Very eloquently, Tatsuya sputters, “Me?”

Atsushi nods.

“I’d recommend any of them, they’re all good.” Tatsuya shrugs.

“I know that… I mean, I just… I wanna know what _your_ favorite is.”

Tatsuya frowns. “Why?”

“I thought… if you wanted and had some time… Maybe we could share?” Atsushi tilts his head down, but quickly peeks up at Tatsuya through his eyelashes, his cheeks pink and a small smile adorning his face. It’s so adorable it takes Tatsuya a while to realize what he had just said.

Tatsuya’s frown vanishes, his widest smile taking its place almost instantly. “Are you asking me out?”

Atsushi swallows hard, that tiny smile still there. “Yes.”

Fifteen minutes later, Tatsuya takes his break to eat a slice of coconut cake with Atsushi who, Tatsuya learns, has been building up the courage to ask him out ever since he saw him for the first time.

“So that’s why you’d never smile back, I’d never take you for the shy type.” Tatsuya smirks. “I’m glad you finally did.”

Atsushi blushes and his smile could light up the world. “Me too.”

 


	20. Graduation

They’re holding hands, walking side by side and just enjoying the silence between them. The sun is high in the sky and the first signs of spring are starting to show up, pink embellishing the trees around them.

It’s graduation day and Atsushi doesn’t really know how to feel.

He went to the ceremony, alongside some already retired members of their team ( _what do you mean we’re not supposed to be here, how rude!_ , Fukui yelled at him) and watched both Liu and Tatsuya receiving their diplomas, choosing not to sing along to the school’s anthem. He had plenty of time for that next year.

Afterwards, he watched how Liu’s mother cried tears of joy and pride and stuck around with the seniors for some photos. Tatsuya kept smiling away, like he always did, distributing hugs and exchanging some words with everyone in his class. His parents hadn’t made it in time for the ceremony, but they would be coming for the group dinner later, so he’d be meeting them for the first time then, hopefully.

Tatsuya grabbed his hand when no one was watching and dragged him here, to the large garden behind the main building, and they’d just been walking around aimlessly for the past 10 minutes. Atsushi doesn’t mind the silence but he knows Tatsuya wants to say something and is probably having a hard time choosing the right words.

“You can say it, I can take it,” Atsushi huffs.

Tatsuya looks up at him and frowns. “Say what?”

Atsushi looks everywhere but down. “That you want to break up. It’s fine, I was already expecting it anyway.”

“You were?” Tatsuya sounds surprised but he still hasn’t let go of Atsushi’s hand and he doesn’t dare look at him.

“Well yeah, you just graduated and you’re going back to the States and a long-distance relationship is just too much work. This was coming for us sooner or later.” Atsushi stops in his tracks and looks down at his shoes.

He expects Tatsuya to let go and get some space between them, maybe yell or cry or just walk away, but it never comes. What does come, however, is a soft giggling sound that gets louder and louder until Tatsuya is openly laughing out loud. Atsushi is very confused at the moment.

When Tatsuya finally manages to stop laughing, he says while wiping away some tears with his free hand, “Did you really think I was going to break up with you, Atsushi? Did I ever even say I was going to leave Japan?”

Atsushi frowns. “Well, no, but I just assumed… You never talked about these things before…”

He finally manages to look at Tatsuya’s face properly this time and there it is – his usual smile. “I’m not going back to America, I’ll be attending college here in Japan, three hours away from Akita actually. You can come visit me anytime you want.”

Atsushi’s frown is still there, though. “Why did you bring me here, then?”

Tatsuya reaches for his pants pocket and takes something from there, turning Atsushi’s palm up with his other hand and placing it there. “To give you this, you dork.”

When he takes his hand away, Atsushi sees a small button lying in his palm and he finally understands, a small smile creeping across his lips. “You’re the worst, Muro-chin.”

“No, _you’re_ the worst, trying to break up with me. I had no idea you didn’t like me as much as I thought you did.” Tatsuya was trying to sound angry, but his expression betrayed him, a wide smile spreading across his face and his cheeks a tad bit pink. His arms were already circling Atsushi’s neck, and Atsushi’s hands automatically reached for his hips, resting there in a familiar gesture.

“I guess I know who I’m going to be giving my second button next year, after all.”

 


	21. Date

Tatsuya checked his watch for the umpteenth time since he got there – he was on time, and he was _very_ sure of it. He even picked up the menu placed on the table several times, making sure the name of the restaurant matched the one Taiga had sent him on the text message. He couldn’t believe he had just been stood up.

“You too?” A bored voice says from the next table over.

Tatsuya looked up, startled. He hadn’t really expected anyone other than the waiter – who was starting to take pity on him – to talk to him.

“Me too… what?” Tatsuya asks.

“Your date didn’t show up?” The man inquires.

Why would he even lie about it? “Maybe they did show up, but they saw me and took off running. Maybe I’m _that_ ugly.” Tatsuya forces out a dry laugh so that the possibility of it actually being true doesn’t seem as pathetic as it potentially was. God, he just wanted to go home.

“So… it was a blind date?”

“Yeah, a friend tried to set me up with some friend-of-a-friend and here I am.”

“Mine too,” the stranger says, and Tatsuya double takes at him. The guy was pretty attractive – a bit tall and looming, but attractive nonetheless. He had long hair, tied back in a ponytail, and was wearing black pants and a simple, white shirt under a dark purple blazer that enhanced his biceps. Who’d skip out on him?

“No way.” Tatsuya shakes his head. “They probably came in, saw you and thought ‘no way, that _cannot_ be him!’”

The man chuckles lightly. “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

“Definitely good. You look good.” Tatsuya doesn’t even mind if it seems like he’s flirting. Is he flirting? “They didn’t think it was possible for a guy like you to even _be_ their date.”

“Your person probably thought the same thing about you.”

Was this guy flirting back? “No way, I don’t look like you at all.”

“I think you’re selling yourself short there.” The man leaves his own table and moves to Tatsuya’s, and he watches as the man sits and picks up a piece of bread from the center of the table, automatically reaching for the butter. “You should smile more often, you look really nice.”

Tatsuya rests his chin on his palm and smirks. “And who says I don’t already?”

The man finishes applying the butter on the bread and holds it out in front of Tatsuya. “Yeah, you’re right, I wouldn’t know that. But maybe I could.” He smirks back. “Try this bread, food always cheers people up.”

“You’re being really forward, you know that?” Tatsuya takes the bread from him and bites on it. Well, it tastes good at least.

“I don’t usually do this so I’m just going with the things my friend _tried_ to teach me.” The man picks up another piece of bread and goes for the butter again. Tatsuya notices his ears go slightly pink.

“This what?”

“Blind dates. Flirting. The only thing I know about my date is that he was an American photographer or something.”

Tatsuya’s eyes widen and he suppresses a smile. “Oh really? The only thing my friend told me was that my date played some kind of sport.”

He sees how the man suddenly stops applying butter and looks up at Tatsuya, a small smile starting to form on his lips. “Oh.”

Tatsuya offers his hand over the table and tilts his head in amusement. “I’m Tatsuya.”

The man takes it and his smile widens. “Atsushi.”

 


	22. Clothes

Atsushi was tired of having to travel so much.

Being a professional basketball player was good and all but having to travel around Japan and then around the world was tiring and annoying and he just wanted some time alone with his boyfriend, dammit.

The last time he got to spend a decent weekend just laying around at home, preferably cuddling with Tatsuya on the nearest couch, was a month ago and Atsushi missed him terribly. He missed his nice food and the way he felt resting on top of him and, most important of all, how he smelled.

Tatsuya often smelled like body soap and a little bit of cinnamon (because of his tendency to use cinnamon in _everything_ ), mixed with a soft aroma of coffee and that one special scent only Tatsuya had. Atsushi loved everything about his boyfriend, but his scent calmed him and he missed it _so much_ , all the time.

So this time around, he had an idea.

He was in his bedroom, rummaging through his shirt drawer, when Tatsuya found him.

“What are you doing?” Tatsuya asked eventually, when Atsushi held up the fifth shirt before dropping it next to him on the floor. There was a pile of shirts forming there already.

“Looking for a shirt,” he said distractedly, and heard Tatsuya chuckle behind him.

“I can see that,” Tatsuya said, and Atsushi turned around to look at him. “What for?”

“For you to wear,” Atsushi told him, and he saw Tatsuya frowning.

“You want to choose what I’m going to wear now?” He leaned against the doorway, crossing his arms. He didn’t look very happy.

“No,” Atsushi said immediately, trying to sound reassuring. He squirmed, suddenly feeling very embarrassed about his own idea, but eventually said, “I miss you when I have to travel for a long time.”

“I miss you, too,” Tatsuya told him, still frowning but looking amused.

“Yeah, but… I want to take something from you with me,” Atsushi finally admitted.

“Something from me… Isn’t my picture enough for you?”

Atsushi rolled his eyes. “It’s hard to look at your boyfriend’s picture when you have to deal with a bunch of guys all day _and_ a very curious roommate, you know? I just thought you could wear one of my shirts and then it would smell like you and I would wear it,” Atsushi rushed out and Tatsuya was smiling at him.

“I think I can do that,” he said and Atsushi smiled back, his cheeks warm.

“Good, then wear this,” Atsushi threw the shirt he had finally chosen, “for two days or so.”

“Two days?! Atsushi, it’s definitely gonna smell,” Tatsuya said, but grabbed it anyway. It was one of Atsushi’s worn-out shirts, one that Tatsuya had bought for him during a trip to his parent’s home last year – it read _Waffles Are Just Pancakes With Abs_ at the front and Atsushi used it proudly whenever they went out to play basketball with the gang.

Atsushi shrugged. “It’s gonna be your smell, and that’s the whole point of this.”

“But it’s gonna be a bad smell,” Tatsuya tried again, while already dropping the shirt he was currently wearing.

Atsushi stood up from his spot on the floor and shrugged again. “It’s still gonna be your smell, so it’s fine.” He reached for Tatsuya, who was now wearing a baggy, old shirt, and stroked his cheek affectionately.

“I didn’t know you were this much of a sap,” Tatsuya said against his lips, right before kissing him.

Atsushi was very glad for having such an understanding boyfriend.

 


	23. Fate

There’s a red string tied around Tatsuya’s pinky. It’s been there for as long as he can remember and he’s never been able to take it off. Any attempts to cut it fail, as if the line was made of steel. He’s not bothered too much by it now. Tatsuya knows the red string means he has a soulmate out there somewhere. Somewhere in the world there is a person who is on the other end of the line, keeping the red string taut.

He knows he’s probably the only person who can see it too – he’s been seeing red strings since he was very little but no one other than him ever seemed to notice they were there.

Sometimes people around him were lucky enough to have found their special person, and Tatsuya only smiled and wished them the best. But other times he had to see friends and even family walking side-by-side with people who weren’t connected to them. Their strings would stretch beyond the limit as if they were yelling at them, _can’t you see your special one is not here?_ He was glad for being able to see the strings, but he also knew he should never tell anyone if they had found their soulmates or not – it wasn’t his place, and no one would believe him anyway.

Tatsuya doesn’t want that for himself. He can’t even imagine how it would feel like to spend his life with someone who wasn’t meant for him, or even worse – all alone. Occasionally, his red string will go slack, making him pause. These are the only times he worries, because it could mean a lot of things. Maybe the distance between his soulmate and himself has shortened. Maybe his soulmate disappeared or died – but he never wants to think about the latter. The idea that he might never find his soulmate or even that his soulmate has died terrifies him.

As time passes, he keeps wondering if he’ll ever actually meet his other half. He wonders what that person looks like, what they’re interested in, what makes them happy or sad. He wonders if they’ll like him when they meet, what it will feel like to fall in love with them, if Tatsuya himself will like them back.

He grows more and more curious and impatient each day, looking around and trying to find them as soon as possible. Eventually, his wait comes to an end when he arrives in Japan and feels a tug on his finger. His other half must be as impatient as he is, even pulling on their line. _This is it, this is where we’ll meet_.

Tatsuya follows the tug, curious and anticipating the moment when he finds the one on the other side. If he could see it, then it made sense that his soulmate could see it too. He twirls the string around his hand as he follows the line and his breath hitches, all the insecurities and anxieties coming back to him – but he doesn’t hesitate.

He ends up at the gates of a school, and there’s a tall boy standing there too, a thin red line attached to his pinky. Tatsuya smiles and approaches him, and they automatically link their pinkies together, as if they’ve been doing it since they were born.

“Finally,” they both whisper, their foreheads touching. _Finally, it feels right_.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **_The Red String of Fate_** (also known as the Red String of Marriage) connecting two people signifies that they are destined lovers, regardless of place, time, or circumstances. This magical cord may stretch or tangle, but never break. This myth is similar to the western concept of [soulmate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soulmate) or a destined flame.


	24. Promise

Now it all seems a little silly, being 6 years old can be really weird. Atsushi doesn’t even remember his friend's face anymore (or maybe he does, he’s not sure), but the proof of their promise is still with him – a worn-out plastic ring that he still wears today in a simple black string around his neck.

He doesn’t remember exactly how it happened anymore, but he knows he felt really sad at the time, so much his mother had to soothe him all night long. Whenever the subject comes up, mostly because people get curious about the strange necklace, he tells them the same thing – it was a promise.

He met the boy when he was around 5 years old, he had just moved into the house right beside him and they quickly became friends, bonding over basketball and taiyaki in cold days. Atsushi only vaguely remembers his friend being a bit older than him, his hair being black and he only having one eye, but that was probably just his memory playing tricks. Their moms used to visit each other all the time, so they got to play around the neighborhood all by themselves a lot. Atsushi always feels a soft warmth in his chest whenever he recalls those days – even though he doesn’t remember much, he knows that boy was important to him at one point.

Then one day there were boxes outside his friend’s house and Atsushi got told they were moving again to a faraway place, even though they had only spent a little more than a year living there. Atsushi remembers tears and a hug that lasted for a long time and two plastic rings, one pink and one black.

_Let’s promise to meet again one day! Each of us will wear this ring until we find each other! Pinky promise!_

Atsushi is sure he hasn’t cried that much ever since, but the fact is that the promise stayed with him even after all these years, and he’s worn that ring around his neck ever since. Some people that came into his life afterward kept telling him it was a silly thing, others that it was just a child’s fantasy – but Atsushi didn’t really mind them, what counted were his memories and the feelings attached to them.

And now, years later, he somehow found himself face-to-face with a boy that looks so very familiar to him – black hair, one of his eyes hidden behind a strand of hair and a string adorning his neck, just like his own. Atsushi looks down and is met with a warm smile, and suddenly he feels butterflies soaring around in his belly.

“Nice necklace you have there.” The boy reaches up and touches Atsushi’s ring. “A bit old though, don’t you think?”

Atsushi does the same and reaches for the boy’s ring with a hand, letting it rest on his chest. “You’re one to talk, yours isn’t looking that good either.” The boy’s smile widens and Atsushi finds himself unconsciously mirroring it, realizing he’s unable to take his eyes off him.

It’s just a plastic ring to the rest of the world, but for the both of them it’s so much more than plastic. It’s a hug, a smile, a _promise_. Who knew plastic could mean so much?

 


	25. Fantasy

Tatsuya was having a problem. Actually, he was having various problems at the moment, and he knew exactly who the culprit was.

He was the one left in charge with all the cooking for this year’s Bloody Halloween party, mostly because he apparently baked the best cakes and desserts from this side of Tokyo, but he couldn’t really do anything in the kitchen if he didn’t have the necessary utensils.

(He still wanted to kick the one who had chosen that ridiculous name – just because it was a party made by the vampire community it didn’t mean it had to be literally related to them, it was just a normal Halloween party for god’s sake).

He entered the kitchen and started setting everything up, nodding to himself as he mentally cataloged everything he would need to start baking. He reached for the cupboards and got bowls, tools and all kinds of ingredients and placed them on the counter. Realizing the wooden spoon was missing, he quickly batted around in the cabinet in search for it – but it wasn’t there.

Strange.

After a closer inspection, he realized the rubber spatula was missing too, as well as the scraper and his second favorite spoon. He questioned for a second where everything might be, but his mind quickly caught up. Of course. Why was he even surprised?

Tatsuya did his best to show his sternest expression and marched off in search of his boyfriend.

“Atsushi?” Atsushi jumped slightly where he was sitting on the sofa and his hands automatically flew behind his back, an innocent expression adorning his face – but Tatsuya knew better. He crossed his arms and stared at him. “Did you take my spatula?”

Atsushi wouldn’t meet his eyes. “I… might have borrowed it…” He tried to give Tatsuya an innocent smile, but all it did was show his sharp fangs and reinforce Tatsuya’s suspicions.

“Atsushi,” Tatsuya declared in a tone that left no room for argument, “if you don’t return everything you took from the kitchen in the next two minutes, I swear I’ll hide all your snacks away for an entire month.”

Atsushi dropped the act in two seconds. “Fine, you don’t need to make threats. Here.”

Tatsuya sighed in exasperation as he accepted the nearly shredded spatula. It was exactly as he had feared – Atsushi had torn right through it with his fangs. He glared and held up the ruined tool. “Didn’t we buy you teething toys for this exact reason? Honestly Atsushi, you can’t keep destroying all the kitchen tools!”

Atsushi made a face and rolled his eyes. “I don’t like them Muro-chin, they taste awful and tear too easily.”

“And this tastes any better?” Tatsuya snorted. “What about the spoon and the scraper?”

Atsushi grumbled but he finally reached behind the sofa and retrieved the stolen goods. Tatsuya sighed as he noticed the countless dents and scrapes from Atsushi’s fangs – the spoon had survived, but the scraper wouldn’t last another day after the last round.

“This is the second set you’ve destroyed just this month, what am I going to do with you?”, Tatsuya scolded.

“I’m a new-born vampire, I need to bite,” Atsushi argued. “Aka-chin said I needed to take care of my fangs until I get used to them, or I might get tooth decay.”

“And that’s exactly why we bought teething toys,” Tatsuya sighed. “You’re not allowed in the kitchen anymore, not until you learn that these,” he paused and wielded the spatula, “are not for you to chew on!”

Atsushi pouted and crossed his arms. “Fine, I’ll just find something else to exercise my fangs.”

Tatsuya huffed and returned to the kitchen. Maybe he could try and ask the store for a discount when he had to buy a new set.

A few minutes later, when he was already halfway through the first set of chocolate cookies, he heard a groaning sound coming from the living room. Curious, he made his way back there, stopping right in his tracks by the entrance, laugh bubbling up inside him.

At least now Atsushi knew that remote controls didn’t make good teething toys.

 


	26. Desires

“What are you doing here, Atsushi?” Tatsuya frowned at the man standing in his front door, dressed in his best wedding attire.

“What do you think?”, Atsushi replied, more than a little annoyed. “I’m eloping.”

“Why are you eloping from your own wedding?”

Atsushi rolled his eyes “Because my favorite cook took three weeks of vacation and the food was awful. Now let me in, _please_?” He crossed his arms and looked more and more uncomfortable by the second. Well, he _was_ too well dressed for such a run-down neighborhood.

“Fine,” Tatsuya replied, stepping aside and letting Atsushi enter the small house. He slid past him, making his way to Tatsuya’s bedroom – after so many months spending night after night in that tiny room, he surely would know his way around by now. Tatsuya took a look at the street outside, making sure no one was watching, and closed the door, joining Atsushi in the bedroom.

He watched as Atsushi took his clothes off, one by one – his wedding robes, a pair of black slacks, a black shirt and other random articles of clothing – and left them in a pile on the floor. Atsushi sat on the bed and held out his arms, gesturing for Tatsuya to get closer and wrapping his arms around his middle when he did, slowly laying them both on the bed.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, both of them simply enjoying each other’s warmth, when Tatsuya finally decided to ask, raising his head from where it rested on Atsushi’s chest, “So? Why did you run away? You’re going to get us both in jail.”

“Well…” he trailed off for a moment before saying, “I don’t think I want to go through with it anymore. Actually, it’s more like I can’t.”

“You can’t?” Tatsuya frowned and Atsushi sighed deeply, turning his head slightly and looking him in the eye. He might as well confess to everything.

“I love you, Tatsuya,” he whispered. “That’s why I can’t go through with it.” Atsushi watched as Tatsuya’s cheeks turned slightly pink and he lowered his head to his chest again. They laid in silence for several moments until Tatsuya spoke again.

“I’ve been waiting for you to say that.” He admitted softly.

“You have?” Atsushi knew he sounded a little desperate, but he couldn’t help it.

“Yes, for quite some time now. I’ve wanted to say the same to you ever since that night at the ball, all those months ago.” Tatsuya kissed Atsushi softly, closing his eyes. “I love you, Atsushi. But we can’t do this, your mother will castrate you and put me in jail for the rest of my life.”

“Not if I manage to change the law. Did you really think I’d come here without previous preparations?” Atsushi winked and saw Tatsuya’s frown disappear, replaced by a surprised expression. “So… what do you say about putting that robe to good use?”

Tatsuya startled, sitting up on Atsushi’s lap and staring at him in shock. “Are you proposing?” he exclaimed, a smile forming on his lips.

“I suppose I am.” A smirk made his way to Atsushi’s lips.

“Then, supposing that you are proposing, I’m supposing I’ll say yes.” Atsushi laughed softly, shaking his head.

“Then, I’m proposing.” Tatsuya beamed at him, already wrapping his arms around Atsushi’s neck.

“Then, I’m saying yes.”

 


	27. Longing

Tatsuya’s phone is just lying on his desk, right beside his books, and he wants nothing more than to pick it up and check it, even though it hasn’t rung or buzzed.

 _It’s only 9 pm_ , he reassures himself, trying really hard to focus on his homework but ultimately failing. He and Atsushi call each other every single day since he came to Los Angeles for college, both calling on alternate days, and today is Atsushi’s turn to call. For some reason Tatsuya is more restless than usual – he just really wants to hear Atsushi’s voice.

Today is a special day of sorts for the both of them – they’ve been going out for exactly one year, but they’ve also not seen each other face-to-face for three months and it’s slowly eating away at Tatsuya. He misses their naps filled with cuddles and soft kisses, and their cooking sessions at 2 am in the dorm’s kitchen when everyone else was already asleep, and Atsushi’s bear hugs, but most of all he misses _Atsushi_. He misses his stubborn, soft-hearted and so very lovable boyfriend, who should have called half an hour ago but still hasn’t. Tatsuya desperately hopes he hasn’t forgotten or just gotten too busy.

 _He better not_.

Finally, his phone rings, a cheerful bell tune that cuts with the first tone because Tatsuya picks it up so fast.

“Atsushi?”

“ _Hey_.” His voice is quiet and calm and everything Tatsuya needed to hear. He closes his eyes and leans back in his chair, letting out a breath. “ _How are you? How’s your day been?_ ”

“A bit tired, today was a busy day at school.” Tatsuya smiles to himself. “What about you? What took you so long to call?”

Tatsuya hears a hint of a laugh from the other side. “ _I was only half an hour late, I wouldn’t forget to call, Muro-chin_.”

“Are you sure, Atsushi? If I remember correctly, you fell asleep last week.” Tatsuya teases, his smile wide on his lips. “You can’t really be trusted, now can you?”

Tatsuya hears rustling and then Atsushi actually laughs in his ear. “ _How cruel Muro-chin, I was taking care of important business. I can’t believe you don’t trust your own boyfriend_.”

Tatsuya huffs, saying “I do trust you, I just don’t trust that little lazy streak you still have with you,” while running his fingers through the photo of the two of them he keeps on his desk. He smiles fondly at it and there’s a pleasant, quiet lull in the conversation. It’s a meaningful silence, and before long, Tatsuya’s biting his lip.

“I really miss you.” There’s no hint of embarrassment in his voice, just pure longing for Atsushi. He doesn’t care how he sounds, he just really needed to say it.

“ _I miss you too, Muro-chin_.” Atsushi’s voice has the same tone. “ _I think I’m going to hug you for at least a week next time I get to see you_.”

Tatsuya laughs, this time flushing a little. “You shouldn’t do that, then you’ll get tired of hugging me and we can’t have that.”

“ _You wanna bet?_ ” Atsushi is smiling, Tatsuya can hear it in his voice.

“I mean, I don’t—” Tatsuya is interrupted by knocking at the door. He frowns a little but gets up, since it might be his landlord or a neighbor. “Someone’s at the door, hold on.”

He pads to the door and opens it, looking down for an old lady, but is greeted by a pair of overalls instead. Tatsuya is suddenly engulfed in warmth and kisses and there’s tears prickling at the corners of his eyes. “I can’t believe you, Atsushi.”

Atsushi practically picks him up, his lips pressed against Tatsuya’s temple. “A week, okay? Starting now.”

 


	28. Music

“No,” Atsushi says defiantly.

“Seriously? You’re a groomsman at your own sister’s wedding and you’ve just been sitting here with me all night. The least you could do is enjoy yourself.” Tatsuya was standing in front of Atsushi’s chair, hands on his hips and a devilish smirk on his lips. Atsushi knew exactly where this was going.

Well, it was true. His older sister had finally decided to settle down and got married in a simple, yet exquisite ceremony, and had invited the whole family of course (which wasn’t all that small, thank you very much). Now, the wedding was over and the reception was in full swing. Everyone around him was dancing and laughing – yet, Atsushi didn’t feel like dancing _at all_.

“Come on Atsushi, I can’t stand to just keep sitting here watching, I wanna dance. This is a wedding!”

Atsushi made a face and looked up at Tatsuya, defiance still in his eyes. “Dancing is more your thing, Muro-chin. You know I can’t really do it.”

“Sure you can Atsushi, you just have to—” Tatsuya starts, and then there’s a change in mood. The song had gone from upbeat to slow and most people had found someone to slow dance with. Tatsuya holds out his hand and his expression changes into a soft one, and Atsushi _knows_ there’s no escape now. “Dance with me.”

“No.”

“Just one dance, please?” Tatsuya caresses his cheek with the back of his hand and Atsushi almost melts into the touch. _Damn him_.

He sighs deeply, taking Tatsuya’s hand. “Fine, but just one.”

Tatsuya grins, clearly satisfied, and leads the both of them into the sea of people. In an instant, Atsushi finds himself in a mix of couples dancing with each other and drunk girls sloppily hugging their friends and smiling away.

Once they find a spot, Tatsuya drapes his left arm on Atsushi’s shoulder and takes his left hand on his own. Nervously, Atsushi curls an arm around Tatsuya’s back, so his right is just below his left shoulder and his other hand grabs Tatsuya’s as gently as possible, and he tries to follow along with the music.

After only a minute, Atsushi can’t do it anymore. The hairs on the back of his neck are standing up and he feels as if everyone in the room is staring at them. “People are staring,” he says, trying to get away. Tatsuya cups his face in his hands and stops him, looking him in the eye.

“Hey, don’t worry about them, alright?” he says calmly. “Just keep your eyes on me. You’ll be fine Atsushi, I promise.” Tatsuya pecks him on the lips and gives Atsushi a reassuring smile.

Atsushi sighs again and keeps dancing with Tatsuya. At some point, Tatsuya rests his head against his shoulder and Atsushi closes his eyes, focusing on the music while they sway in time with each other. One song passes, then another, and before he knows it it’s nearly midnight and the party is practically over. He’s been dancing together with Tatsuya this whole time and hadn’t even given it a second thought.

Atsushi thinks to himself _, I wanna dance like this again_. He looks over Tatsuya’s shoulder and his sister is watching them, winking at his baby brother from the other side of the room and grinning. He hides his face in Tatsuya’s hair and smiles.

“People are staring, Atsushi,” Tatsuya whispers in his ear.

Atsushi holds Tatsuya a little tighter in his arms, then looks down at him before kissing him. “Let them stare.”

 


	29. Challenge

Tatsuya looked down at the kitchen sink and sighed, crossing his arms. The pile of dirty dishes kept getting bigger and bigger and it was already Thursday. He knew that living with Atsushi was one of the best choices he had ever made in his life, and he absolutely didn’t regret it, but he also wished his boyfriend was just a _little_ bit more responsible.

He needed a plan, and he needed one fast. What could he possibly use to somehow blackmail his boyfriend into doing house chores – the chores he should be doing anyway? He took a look at the kitchen table and there he saw an abandoned pack of pocky, which instantly brought a smile to his lips. _Bingo_.

He hid the pack in the pocket of his jacket and made his way into the living room, where he found his boyfriend hunched over the living room table, the TV displaying a basketball game from last week in low volume and a physics book opened in front of him, filled with small annotations in pencil. Tatsuya sneaked up behind him and rested his head on Atsushi’s shoulder, kissing his cheek.

“What are you doing?”

Atsushi didn’t take his eyes off the book, still writing. “I’m revising the stuff that comes out in next week’s exam, Mido-chin keeps sending messages asking if I’m studying ‘properly’ so I’m doing this.” He finishes writing and puts the pencil down, turning in his chair until he’s facing Tatsuya, making space between his legs for him and placing his hands on his hips, looking up. “Did you need something?”

Tatsuya puts his most innocent expression on and hums. “Maybe I shouldn’t bother you now, you’re busy after all.”

Atsushi places a kiss on his nose and sighs. “It’s fine, I needed a break anyway. And I’m getting kinda hungry.”

Tatsuya smiles, but he makes sure it doesn’t reach his eyes. _You don’t say_. “Oh, I was thinking we could share this pack of pocky, this one was left in the kitchen,” he pauses, pointing at the kitchen’s door with his chin, “and I know how much you like these,” Tatsuya says, already opening the pack and taking a stick, placing it between his lips.

The remark doesn’t escape Atsushi, who visibly blanches. “Oh really?” He reaches for the pack, but Tatsuya moves it away from him.

“You know, I had a great idea. What if we play some pocky game? The one who wins gets to ask anything from the other for an entire week, what do you think?” Tatsuya winks, munching on another stick, and Atsushi winces.

“I think…” Tatsuya sees how his expression changes from a doubtful frown to a mischievous grin, and he wants to kiss it away instantly. “I think that would be a great idea, Muro-chin. I like this idea a lot.” He pinches his sides and Tatsuya laughs, taking another stick and placing it between his lips once again.

Atsushi moves closer and takes a bite off the pocky, and Tatsuya does the same. As each of them take turns taking a bite off the stick, the distance between them quickly begins to close. Only a few centimeters apart from each other, Tatsuya won’t dare take his eyes off Atsushi, a soft smile appearing on his lips.

Atsushi is so focused on Tatsuya’s eyes and the way he looks at him that he doesn’t notice his hand coming up beside him until it’s too late. Tatsuya’s hand pinches his nose and cuts him off from getting any air, and he automatically releases the pocky from his lips and pulls back to catch his breath. The small piece of pocky falls on the hardwood floor and Tatsuya laughs again, a satisfied grin on his face.

Before Atsushi can even complain, Tatsuya grabs his face and kisses him softly on the mouth. “There, you get a kiss anyway. You’re going to need all the energy you can get to wash all those dishes.”

 


	30. Gift

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy birthday Himuro ❤

Atsushi didn’t really like the idea of taking people with him when he flew, but Tatsuya was his only exception.

His wings were big enough and he was strong enough to take two people in his arms at the same time if it ever became necessary, but it was too much of a pain and he would always avoid doing it, if he could help it. But he also knew Tatsuya really loved flying, even if he would never admit it – he obviously couldn’t fly, since he was only human, and he always pouted and told Atsushi that it was _unfair that you have wings and I don’t_ , but Atsushi secretly treasured Tatsuya’s smile and awed expression whenever he looked down from up in the clouds.

Right now, though, Tatsuya couldn’t see anything, all because Atsushi decided to surprise him – and what better way to surprise his boyfriend than covering his eyes with a scarf and take him all the way to the other side of the world?

“This is not fun at all Atsushi, I can’t see anything,” Tatsuya complained, all the while holding onto Atsushi’s neck for dear life. “I only agreed to come because you seemed really excited for some reason, but I’m getting second thoughts about all this. Where are we going anyway?”

Atsushi slows down and gently lowers them onto the ground, his wings flapping softly. “You’ll see for yourself in a minute.”

Tatsuya huffs and pouts, but he’s patient with the blindfold and Atsushi is grateful for that. He takes a moment to catch his breath and look around. There’s wide space around them and the wind blows softly, the cold hair sticking to his face. He finally reaches behind Tatsuya and starts undoing the knot, not before letting his fingers dally on Tatsuya’s face for a moment, earning him a soft smile from his boyfriend.

The first thing Atsushi sees when the blindfold is no longer covering Tatsuya’s face are his eyes – both of them, because the wind did him that one favor for once. He reaches for Tatsuya’s dark hair to brush a fallen leaf away and his eyes linger just a bit longer on his beautiful features, but Tatsuya grasps his palm before he can do it. “So? Where are we, Atsushi?” Tatsuya says, impatient.

Atsushi grabs both his shoulders and turns him around. “The most beautiful place on Earth, probably.”

Atsushi hears Tatsuya gasp as he takes in the scenery – there’s nothing but the sky and whiteness and empty spaces, like they’re stuck in the middle of nothing. Then, down below, the orange of the rocks peeks out from under the white cover of the snow, but the bounds of air between them and the world are truly what takes Tatsuya’s breath away.

“Do you like it?” Atsushi asks, and Tatsuya can’t take his eyes away from the scene right in front of him.

“This is beautiful, Atsushi.” Tatsuya turns around and lets himself get enveloped by Atsushi’s arms, since the cold wind is already getting to him. “How did you know?”

“It gets pretty easy when you leave magazines and pictures around the house, you know.” Their foreheads touch and Tatsuya smiles, his cheeks flushed.

“I have the best boyfriend in the world.” His arms reach Atsushi’s neck once again and Tatsuya closes the distance between them with a kiss. It’s too cold for kissing, but Tatsuya’s lips are warm and his embrace firm. It’s chaste, merely symbolic, but it means so much for the both of them.

“Happy birthday, Tatsuya.”

 


	31. Love

The shop’s bell rings and Tatsuya looks up from the bouquet he’s finishing at the counter. He startles when he sees a tall man (he was _at least_ 2 meters tall) standing by the door, a bored expression on his face and both hands in his pockets.

“Hello, how may I help you?” Tatsuya smiles slightly from behind the counter and observes the man further – he’s probably around his age, lavender hair by his shoulders, and he looks really embarrassed somehow.

“Uh,” the man tries to speak, distracted by the flowers around him. Tatsuya raises his eyebrows, waiting for him to continue. “I’d like to get a bouquet of flowers for… a date.”

“Do you have a specific flower in mind?” Tatsuya tries.

“A specific flower?” The man lets himself further in the shop, approaching the counter with a frown.

“Yes, usually customers know exactly what they’re looking for.”

“Well, I’m not really a usual customer.” Tatsuya laughs softly and nods. _I can see that_.

“May I suggest some, then?” Tatsuya asks.

“Uh, sure.” The man rests his elbows on the counter, feeling more comfortable by the minute.

Tatsuya turns around and takes a look at the flowers at his disposal, already making all kinds of bouquets in his head. “Is this a special date or…”

“Oh, not really,” the man immediately cuts him off, shrugging. “It’s actually a blind date… My friends made me come so I thought it would be nice to bring some flowers.”

“I usually wouldn’t recommend flowers on a blind date, but it’s a really nice gesture,” Tatsuya says. “I’d go with some Pom Pom Mums. They’re lovely, but not as romantic as roses.” Tatsuya starts walking over to a corner of the shop and the man follows, watching as he picks up a bunch of the flowers. “I think these yellow ones would do great,” Tatsuya explains, “because they represent friendship.” The man raises an eyebrow and Tatsuya smiles.

“Great,” the man finally speaks. “Then I’ll get those. Thanks… uh…” his eyes scan Tatsuya’s name tag on his shirt, “…Himuro.”

Tatsuya looks up and smiles. “You’re welcome…”

“…Atsushi.”

“Then you’re welcome, Atsushi,” Tatsuya says, still smiling, and sees the man mirroring him, giving him a small smile back. They stand there, merely smiling at each other before Tatsuya clears his throat and looks back down at the flowers, feeling his cheeks heating up. “So, will you be paying in cash?”

 

A week later, Tatsuya sees Atsushi entering the shop again and smiles involuntarily. “Back for more?” he asks, and Atsushi’s eyes widen.

“What do you mean?”

Tatsuya blinks but keeps smiling anyway. “For more flowers, I mean.”

Atsushi breathes out a laugh and nods. “Oh, yeah. I just…” he rubs the back of his neck and looks around, “you seem like you know a lot about flowers, so I thought I’d come back and get some more.”

Tatsuya feels himself blushing again and smiles. “Then what can I get you this time?”

And it doesn’t end there – Atsushi somehow keeps coming back every week, always asking for different flowers, until Tatsuya finally asks, a month after Atsushi’s visits to the flower shop started, “You and this person are really hitting it off, huh?” He really didn’t mean to ask, but now that he did he doesn’t really regret it.

Atsushi furrows his eyebrows, clearly confused by the question, but then his eyes widen. “Oh,” he says softly. “Uh, sure…” Tatsuya looks at him with a questioning look and Atsushi finally sighs. “The blind date was alright, but I wasn’t really feeling it anymore.”

Tatsuya tilts his head. “Then why do you keep coming back here? I thought you’d been going on _lots_ of dates.”

“Well…” Atsushi starts, sounding like he’d just been caught doing something he really shouldn’t have been doing, “I just started feeling it with someone else, that’s all.” He looks Tatsuya in the eye with an innocent look that makes his heart beat a little faster and Tatsuya _understands_ , grinning.

Atsushi holds out his hand and asks “Would you like to go on a date with me, Muro-chin?”

Tatsuya laughs but takes his hand anyway. “Muro-chin?”

Atsushi smiles back. “That’s just a nickname I like to call people I _really_ like. So…?”

“Hmm,” Tatsuya sighs, getting a thoughtful look on his face, “that depends. Will you bring me flowers?”

“Of course,” Atsushi answers, a playful smirk on his lips, “since I know this person who knows a lot about flowers.” Tatsuya laughs again, still holding Atsushi’s hand in his own.

“Is that a _yes_?” Atsushi asks.

“Definitely.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> You can find me on [twitter](http://twitter.com/mvkkun) or [tumblr](http://mvkkun.tumblr.com/)


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